


Endless Nightmare//TLoU &DBH

by TalleyBear



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), The Last of Us
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Human, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Cousins, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gavin Reed Redemption, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy, Protective Siblings, Relationship(s), Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22946467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalleyBear/pseuds/TalleyBear
Summary: *Decided to write this because of the upcoming Last of Us Part 2. I plan on playing it. Once it comes out I may expand the plot into it.*After the death of his wife, Hank Anderson is separated from his daughter years after the first tragedy. He will do anything he can to find her, especially because she's having an issue that Hank wished she didn't.Beth is on her own, separated from her father, and on a poorly thought out decision to get food, she winds up getting ambushed. She's saved, but she still doesn't have her father and little brother back.She develops a close bond with those who saved her, in particular Connor.Will father and daughter ever see each again, or will memories be all they have left?
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Original Female Character(s), Hank Anderson/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> No warnings except for cussing.

//Endless Nightmare//

0\. Prologue:

Winter 2020

•°•°•

Beth shivered at the cold air, as she trailed behind her parents. Her mother was paler than normal, and the bottom of her pants, at her ankles, were pulled down more than normal. The former police officer looked at his wife worriedly, "Hon.. tell me what's wrong." Maia shook her head, "What are you talking about, Hank..? I'm good..." She was clearly lying.

"C'mon, Maia.. after we got separated by that group of runners earlier..." Maia glanced up at him, "What abou' it..?" She was nervous, and he could definitely tell. "Ever since then.. you've been acting weird... Why..?" Maia sighed, "Just tired.. guess it's finally.. catchin' up with me..." Hank sighed, not believing her but deciding to let it go. He was probably being paranoid.

They walked a little further, Maia, every once in a while, looking back to make sure her daughter was okay. She noticed just how violently her daughter was shaking and sighed. The woman pulled off her coat, before laying it over her daughter's shoulders. "M-Mommy..?" Maia smiled softly, something strange in her eyes. "It's okay, baby girl.. I'll be fine."

Beth looked worried, her big blue eyes staring up at her mother's face. She smiled back, deciding that her mother would be happier if she herself was happy. She pulled her arms through the sleeves of the jacket, wrapping her arms around herself. Maia patted her daughter's head, sighing at the material of the small hat Beth was wearing.

The little girl had concern in her eyes as her mother turned back, and they started walking toward again. She found herself missing Jeffrey, her father's friend, who had disappeared in the same incident where they had been separated for a short time by runners, and they hadn't seen him since. "Daddy.. when are we gonna find Jeff?"

Hank froze for a second, before he snapped out of it as Beth called out again. "I don't know, baby.. we're gonna find him though, don't worry." She looked up at him, nodding. He smiled, but it was strained, and turned his head back around. Maia, while she was walking, didn't notice that her pants leg on her left leg had rode up.

The little girl looked at the side of her mom's lower leg, eyes staring at what looked to be indentations.. of human teeth, the teeth of a runner to be specific. Beth had no idea what it meant.. her parents had decided to wait to teach her about this until she was ten. She knew it probably wasn't good though.. why else would Maia not let Hank see it.

She looked down at the ground, not mentioning it to her dad. Beth didn't think that it would mean that something bad would happen to her mother.. she had hope that her mother was just being strong and just didn't want either of them to worry.

Little did she know.. things were far from okay.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Winter 2020

•°•°•

"That's better..." Jeffrey Fowler sat in front of the fire, smiling softly at the two children sitting near him. They looked to be twins, but they had different colored eyes and their facial features were slightly different. "Yeah, definitely..." Both kids said in unison, leaning against each other for more warmth. Fowler sighed, grateful that he had found the two when he did.

He missed Hank, Maia, and Beth of course.. but he knew that it would be unlikely for him to ever find them again. Especially not in that harsh of a winter.. it was too risky to travel for long periods of time, and he definitely didn't want to cause the children to freeze to death. "Where are your parents? You're not alone.. are you?" The blue eyed boy shrugged, while the brown eyed one sniffled. "T-They're gone.. they left us..."

Fowler's eyes softened, "That's awful... I was separated from a friend and his wife and child earlier.. I need to find them." The blue eyed one looked up at him, "So.. why aren't you? Matter of fact, why did you even help us..?" Fowler looked down at the ground, avoiding the boy's stare. The brown eyed one looked curious to know as well but still gave his brother a warning look.

The man let out a sigh, "A couple of reasons for the first thing.. one, it's too cold and they probably got Beth somewhere safe already.. two, I can't risk you two freezing to death, and it'll be awhile until this cold has calmed down." Fowler explained before going to the other question, "I couldn't just leave either of you to die.. honestly, you're only about three years older than Beth.. and I wouldn't be able to stand leaving her to die..." He admitted.

Both children looked at him, and the blue eyes one's facial expression softened. "I'm sorry.. we remind you of her?" Fowler shrugged, "Not anything specific.. you're just children, just like her..." The kids nodded looking down, before looking up as Fowler asked them. "I didn't ask you this before.. so, what are your names?" The brown eyed one answered first, "My name is Connor." The blue eyed one answered then, "Richard.. but I prefer Nines..."

Fowler smiled in response, "Those are cool names. My name is Jeffrey.. but Beth always called me Jeff. Either is fine." Connor smiled, "Jeff, huh..? I like it." Jeffrey smiled back before looking over at Nines who was silent. Nines didn't seem to be that talkative of a person, but Jeffrey could respect that. He was still a kid, so he could grow out of it.. but considering the world they grew up in, Nines just may stay that way.

He held his hands over the small fire that they had made, before deciding to show the kids something. Hands reached and grabbed a backpack before unzipping it and picking up a photo that was lying at the bottom. "Here.. that's me, my wife Cindy, Hank, and Maia." Jeffrey pointed to each person as he said each name. The picture depicted Jeffrey and Cindy holding hands, and Hank and Maia were standing right next to them.

Hank had his arm wrapped around Maia's shoulders, while Maia had an arm around his waist and her other hand on her belly. If the picture was any indicator, Maia was obviously heavily pregnant in the picture, presumably with Beth. The photo showed the closeness between them, showing that the four of them were good friends. Fowler gave a sad look at the picture before looking up at Nines and Connor.

Connor looked at Fowler, sympathy in his eyes, however Nines asked Fowler something, "You talked about your friend, his wife, and their daughter.. but you made no mention of your wife earlier.. why is that?" Jeffrey was silent for a moment, pondering how to answer Nine's question. "I.. I don't like talking about it..." Memories flowed through his mind, as he remembered what tragedy had befallen his wife. Why she no longer kissed his goodnight.. why she was just.. gone...

He missed her.. so fucking much...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Winter 2020

•°•°•

A little brunette girl leaned up against an even tinier blonde haired girl. "Where are we gonna go, Gav..?" A boy asked, looking up at a boy who looked to be about eight years older than him. Gav, short for Gavin, looked down at his baby brother. "I don't know Evan.. hopefully, we'll find somewhere soon." Evan nodded in agreement, before looking over at the two little girls. "Hey, Liliana, Fiona.. where do you guys wanna go?"

Liliana, the brunette, let out a sigh, "Find her older sister Allison and father, hopefully.. don't know where to start though." Fiona simply continued to lean against Liliana, forest green eyes closing as she leaned her head against Liliana's shoulder. Fiona looked to be the youngest of them, while Gavin was the oldest, looking to be about fourteen when he was in reality eighteen. Lack of proper nutrition was a factor in his young appearance and just how damn scrawny he was.

The boy nodded in response, before glancing up at his older brother, who was silent. "What..?" Gavin shrugged, not answering Evan's question. His eyes indicated he was now deep in thought, something that could be potentially dangerous in the world they lived in. His little brother looked dejected at this, wrapping his arms around his knees as he pulled his knees into his chest. 

Evan glanced over at Liliana and Fiona, who were still cuddled up against one another. The girls looked nothing alike but despite that they act like sisters. They were clearly close, something that could be hard to come by these days. He wished he could be that close with his older brother, but Gavin had been distant ever since their parents' deaths. Gavin still protected Evan of course, but the bond they once had was severed.

Gavin's choice to stay distant was made in a effort to protect Evan.. he knew that if something happened to him, like if he got bit, Evan wouldn't be able to do what's necessary.. unless his attachment to Gavin was limited. It might not be the case, but Gavin hoped that Evan wouldn't hesitate if the time came. He would easily take a bullet for his baby brother, and protect the boy with his life.

He would rather have an alive brother than hates him.. than a dead one loving him.

Little did he know how badly this was going to come back down on him one day...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*That's the end of the prologue. Sorry if it seems strange, but I was trying to introduce the characters in a way that somewhat gave insight into their personalities. It'll probably be a while until the other chapters come out. Warning though, chapters 1-3 feature an extended background story for each little part in the prologue. They feature more of the past of the characters, but skip if you really want too but things might get weird if you do.*

Sincerely, Talleybear.


	2. World Turned Upside Down Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Hank's Background Story.*
> 
> Hank, Maia, and Fowler escape the city of Detroit along with Beth. 
> 
> Things happen and Beth and Hank end up with a pair of brothers, one of which is much older than the other. 
> 
> Beth makes a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning for cussing. And warning for a kind of obvious reference to smut.*
> 
> There is no actual rape in this story, at least not described, but there are threats of it in one chapter.

//Endless Nightmare//

I. World Turned Upside Down Part One:

August 2013

•°•°•

Hank Anderson walked in the door of his small apartment, yawning. It had been a long day of work at the Detroit Police Department, so he was definitely exhausted. Strange things were happening within the country, but he didn't take it seriously. He figured that it would go away or at least that was what he hoped.

He made sure to lock the door before he headed to the bathroom. After doing his business, he made his way into the bedroom, smiling softly at the sight of his sleeping wife. His eyes fell onto the crib that was next to the crib, smiling again as he spotted his sleeping child. Making sure the child was asleep, he took off his uniform and sat his gun, still in the holster, on the nightstand. He pulled on a white shirt and pajama pants, before going to the bed.

Hank lied down next to his wife, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned back into his chest, before opening her jade green eyes and she looked back at him. Maia smiled softly at him, "Long day, Hon..?" Hank nodded, leaning in to kiss her. He pulled away after a moment, "Yeah.. some strange things have been going on lately."

"Really..? It it.. really that bad..?" 

The man let out a sigh, "Yeah.. but Fowler and me both think it'll blow over." Maia gave him a worried look, but he shook his head at her. "Just go back to sleep, Baby.. we can talk about it before I leave in the morning, alright..?" Maia nodded with obvious reluctance, leaning back into his chest. He stroked her short blonde hair, remembering just how long her hair was before they had gotten married.

He liked its shortness, as it really fit her. She would probably let it grow out again, but Hank didn't care either way. Hank would respect her decision, and he honestly didn't hair what her hair looked like. Short or long hair, she was still Maia either way. She was still beautiful no matter what to him.. and by the looks of it their one year old daughter was going to look just like Maia but with blue eyes.

Hank closed his eyes, trying to sleep.

•°•°•

He only managed to sleep two hours past when he had gotten home, which had been at 12:17. Hank was able to sleep relatively well, his arm wrapped around her, in what looked to be a loving and protecting hold. His eyes snapped open as a loud pounding sound echoed throughout the apartment. He knew it had to be at the apartment door, which was strange. Who the hell would be banging on the door at a little over 15 minutes past two?

No one would do that, unless there was an emergency. Even in that case, most people would just call 911, so something was definitely off. Maia had awoken too, groggily looking at Hank, "You.. expectin' someone..?" He shook his head, wincing as another round of banging continued on the door. "I'll get it.. you stay here." Maia gave him a worried look, but he got up.

He decided against bringing his gun, because one of his neighbors was caring for their grandmother and always thought it was quicker to go to Hank, who lived in the apartment directly across from theirs, rather than call for an ambulance. This neighbor also had a habit of banging loudly on the door whenever something happened to their grandmother. The neighbor was named Sam Maxwell, a relatively tall person with a very short and tiny grandmother.

It wasn't the smartest logic, especially considering the response to these calls was very quick. The neighbor was from a small town in Louisiana and probably had bad experience with response time. It was partially understandable, but Hank honestly needed to get the neighbor to understand that calling 911 or calling an ambulance would be much quicker and definitely better than banging on Hank's apartment door every single time.

He left the bedroom, bringing his cellphone just in case he had to call 911, if something had indeed happened to the grandmother. Silently hoping that it was just that, Hank tried to push away the dread that filled his chest. He hoped that it had nothing to do with strange occurrences within the country, but his gut told him that something was wrong. Still flinching at the banging at the apartment door, he hesitantly walked towards the door.

Hank inhaled sharply, before looking through the peep hole. It was indeed the neighbor, but something was definitely different.. something was definitely wrong with them. They were banging on the door, now even more violently, as though they were attempting to break it down. Their eyes were bloodshot, and Hank heard a noise that sounded like growling.

He flinched, feeling his stomach drop. Against his better judgement, he decided to still talk. Maybe Sam just needed help, hadn't been able to sleep, and was desperate. As he reached for the door handle, his mind brought up the thought of just how much the door was straining to refrain from being torn down. Inhuman strength was being exhibited with each blow against the door, and Hank reconsidered opening it.

Instead, he double checked the lock before speaking. "Sam, what are you doing..?" He tried to be polite, hoping that he could calm Sam down before they managed to destroy the door. A loud screech was all he got in response, and Hank didn't have a chance to move before the door finally gave into the force. Unfortunately for him, Sam easily knocked him to the ground, attempting to take a bite out of his neck.

His phone slipped out of his hand, screen shattering as it hit the coffee table. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!!" He screamed, barely managing to keep Sam from taking a chunk out of his neck. At that moment, someone familiar ran into the apartment, shoes crunching against the pieces and splinters of wood. "Hank!" It was Jeffrey, with his gun raised.

A gunshot went off, and Sam fell limp on top of Hank, blood dripping from their head. He pushed the body off of him, gasping a little. Looking up, he gave a thankful look to Fowler, "Thanks..." Jeffrey shook his head, before pointing to the doorway of the bedroom. Hank looked to where the man was pointing, eyes widening. It was Maia holding his police issued handgun, clad in a light green nightgown, and the barrel of the gun was smoking.

"Thought I told you to stay in the room..." Despite his worry that she had not listened, he was grateful. "Thank you.. are you okay..?" Maia nodded, but a few tears fell down her face. "G-God.. I.. I just k-killed someone..." She was definitely choked up, reasonably upset at the realization that she had killed someone.

Hank immediately got up, watching as Maia started crying. He immediately rushed over, grabbing her hand that was holding the gun. "H-Hank.. I.. I'm a m-monster.. I-I k-killed someone..." He shushed her, grabbing the gun from her and hugging her tightly. Maia sobbed into his chest, repeating the words 'monster' and 'killer' over and over again as Hank muttered reassurances.

His police partner smiled sadly, before saying something quietly. "I know she's upset.. we have to get out of here, now." Hank listened closely, looking away from Maia while still keeping a gentle grip on her. He met Fowler's gaze, and it was clear that that Jeffrey was holding back his panic for Maia. "It hasn't blown over Hank.. it's all over the damn country now.. people are trying to leave the city.. Sam hadn't though..."

Maia spoke up to his surprise, "W-Where's Diana..?" Fowler sighed, having no clue where Sam's grandmother was. He hoped the older woman was okay but considering Sam's state.. it wasn't too likely. "I hope she's alright.. maybe we should check on her..?" Hank suggested, and Fowler nodded. 

"I'll do it.. you two, get dressed and bring Beth with you... Make sure to bring her stuff..." Hank nodded, and Fowler walked out of the apartment and approached Sam's apartment. The door was cracked open, and the smell of blood reeked in the apartment. Maia and Hank hurried into their bedroom, and Maia grabbed a crying Beth. He put on a navy blue shirt, and pulled off his pajama pants and replaced them with a pair of jeans. Then he grabbed his deep brown coat and put it on.

He grabbed Beth from Maia, allowing his wife to quickly change into a tank top and light grey sweater, along with jeans. After grabbing the prepacked bag of baby supplies and Hank's Magnum, they left the room quickly, flinching as a gunshot sounded from Sam's apartment. Fowler slowly walked into their apartment, not saying anything and grabbed a couple water bottles out of the fridge.

He handed them to Maia, who had the the bag slung over her shoulder. She thanked him, putting them in the bag and listening intently as Hank asked Fowler what had happened. "I.. I don't wanna talk about it right now... For now, let's just get out of here.. I'll tell you later." Hank nodded with reluctance, as they all headed out the door.

•°•°•

Blood stained the streets, and explosions sounded throughout the city of Detroit. Hank winced, horrified to see his hometown in such a destroyed state. People were screaming, cars were crashing, and people were devouring each other. It was such a fucking disaster.. why was he dumb enough to think that it would all blow over? Why didn't he just take it seriously..?

They got to Fowler's car, and Jeffrey quickly unlocked the doors and started the car. After Maia and Hank got in, Hank clutching Beth to his chest. The baby was still crying, obviously distressed at the loud noises. Fowler pulled onto the street, looking for an exit route. He found a mostly clear route, and steered the car in that direction. 

"What is it..?" Maia asked Fowler, looking at him from her position in the passenger seat. The man hesitated for a moment, fingers clenching against the steering wheel. He kept his eyes on the road, and spoke quietly, "Some kind a fungus.. they said it started down in the south.. now, it's all over the fucking country." Maia glared at him as he cussed, but her eyes softened at his tone.

The drive went smooth, as Fowler avoided people, as well as fallen lampposts and cars. He really hoped that they would be able to get out of the city with limited issue, but someone ran out in front of the car. In an effort to avoid them, he jerked the car, hitting a lamppost in the process. The car somehow didn't flip but hit another car that had been next to the lamppost.

The impact caused the airbag to come out, and everyone gasped for breath. "Everyone all right..?" Fowler asked, managing to get the airbag away from him. Maia nodded, and Fowler felt relief that he had turned the passenger airbag off. It was just at the right angle and with Maia's small stature, the airbag would've killed her if it was on.

Hank gave a small yes, examining Beth to make sure she was alright. His wife looked back, "What?!!Is she okay?!!" Hank flinched at her tone, feeling every inch of worry that she did for their daughter. "Yeah, yeah. She's fine, don't worry." He soothed Beth, holding her close to his chest. Maia let out a sigh of relief before looking at Jeffrey, "You're hurt." She motioned to the blood dripping down the side of his head, "Nah.. that was from earlier... It just reopened." He explained.

The dark skinned man back up away from the other car, then reached for the door handle but froze at Maia's voice, "What're you doing?" Jeffrey shook his head at her, "Need to check the damage. Hopefully.. it's not too bad." She sighed, letting him go. Maia looked by her husband, smiling at the sight of him cuddling Beth into his chest. You could tell just how much he loved both his wife and his daughter.

Outside of the noises throughout the roads and streets, it was relatively quiet in the car. Jeffrey cried out from outside the car, and Maia immediately rushed out, ignoring Hank's warning. "Jeffrey..!" She was visibly startled, as she saw the figure of a woman attacking Jeff. Blood stained her mouth, and she attempted to take a bite out of Fowler's arm.

Maia spotted a piece of metal, that had been detached from the car, lying on the ground. It looked like it would make a good weapon, and she picked it up raised it. "Get away from him!" Angrily, she bashed the piece of metal against the woman's head. The woman's head twisted to the side before Maia took another blow at her head. The impact managed to slice the woman's head open.

She dropped the metal piece onto the ground, before watching as the woman fell to the ground next to the object. "I.. I.. I'm a.. m-murderer.. aren't I..?" Fowler shook his head, "She was attacking me.. you just saved my life.. it's justified." Maia shook her head, hands shaking. "N-No.. maybe.. maybe.. I could've tried to r-reason with her..."

"Nah, you wouldn't have been able--" 

He was cut off by more screaming, and Hank ran out of the car, holding Beth tightly. "We need to hurry up! What's the damage?" Fowler glanced at the front of his car, "The front is dented, and a piece of metal was ripped off from the impact.. you smell something funny..?" Hank sniffed the air, freezing as the strong smell invaded his nostrils. "Gasoline..." He looked under the car and saw the very obvious gas leak.

Considering the explosions occuring throughout the city, a gas leak wasn't good. "Yeah.. we're better off just--" Fowler cut himself off as he spotted people running down the street. "We've gotta go!" Maia called out, grabbing Beth from Hank and handing him his Magnum, because she had been holding it. "Both of you protect us.. I don't.. trust myself with it..." She was a great shot, and they knew she could do it. Maia was clearly fearful of having to kill another person, which was understandable.

Hank and Fowler both nodded, before they attempted to run in the direction that they had attempted to head in before the crash. Unfortunately, that's where the people in question were coming from, screaming loudly and running for their lives. People were falling down, people were being attacked, and people were getting eaten alive.

After checking both the ammo on his police issued handgun and Magnum, "Didn't bring much ammo." He told Fowler, knowing he had only brought a couple boxes. It may seem like a lot but depending on how much he had to use his guns it could run out. Jeffrey nodded, "Same..." They managed to get through part of the city, flinching as they bumped into people running in the opposite direction.

"Should we really do this..? I mean, people are runnin' away from this direction.. is it really a bright idea to be running on the direction of the danger..?" Maia asked, panting as they ran. Fowler shook his head, "It isn't.. but that's the way out.. traffic is backed up for miles, and we were lucky to even find a route that wasn't."

Maia tightened her grip on Beth, before gasping as one of the people grabbed onto her. "No..!" She yelped, as the person attempted to bite Beth. Fowler and Hank acted quickly, the former shooting the person in the leg and the latter shooting the person in the back. The person fell limp, and Maia held a crying Beth to her chest, trying to soothe the baby.

"Hank, look out!" 

Hank managed to listen to Fowler's warning, but the person managed to pin him to the ground, getting closer and closer to his neck. He attempted to push them off, but the person resisted every effort. Hank closed his eyes, feeling like it was the end. The person's mouth got closer to his neck.. a gunshot went off.

•°•°•

They all ran up a hill, luckily not running into any more of the crazy people. "How much further..?" Maia asked Fowler as they made it to the top. The man shook his head, "Don't know.. we've gotten out of the city, which is a good thing on its own..." She nodded, before her eyes fell onto the blood dripping down the side of his head.

"How didn't we notice that before we left the apartment..?" Jeffrey gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Doesn't matter.. anyway, it's not anything major.. so I'm good." They carefully walked down the other side of the hill, keeping a close watch for any of the crazy people. Maia held Beth close, pulling off her sweater and wrapping it around the one year old.

"You guys knew about this.. didn't you?"

Fowler let out a sigh, "Just a little, it's some kind of.. fungus... Apparently, it's believed to be a mutation of.. what was it..? Wait.. Cordyceps... Don't know if it's true, but if it is.. I don't think there is any hope..." He trailed off, realizing just how screwed they were. This fungi, considering that there were more than 400 species of Cordyceps, hadn't always affected humans. Now it did.. Fowler felt dread fill his chest.

The world would never be the same.

•°•°•

Winter 2020(Late December)

•°•°•

Eyes opened to look up at Maia, who comforted him, "It's alright.. just a dream, ain't it?" Hank nodded as she stroked his hair lovingly. Maia was still the same sweet and loving person, despite the hardships of living in what was essentially the apocalypse. However, she was way paler than normal and it had been that way for the last couple of hours.

His eyes glanced over at Beth, who was sleeping soundly with her front facing the fire, Maia's coat now acting as a blanket for the little girl. He smiled, knowing that she had been absolutely exhausted. Hank felt Maia rest a hand on his forehead, so he looked up at her, "Go back to sleep, Hon.. I'll be fine." It sounded like she was straining with something.

He shook his head, worry filling his mind for his wife. Maia gave him a stern look, and Hank sighed. He knew that, for whatever reason, Maia wasn't going to tell him what was going on. Hank managed to close his eyes and fall asleep. He made a mental note to check on her later, unwilling to just let it go. 

Maia smiled sadly down at him...

She had a grim look in her eyes...

•°•°•

"Daddy..! Daddy, mommy's gone..!" Hank awoke to Beth shaking his shoulders, yelling at him. At first, since he was so out of it, his mind didn't even register was Beth had exclaimed. "Daddy.. where's mommy.?!" Hank snapped fully awake then, the realization that his wife was gone hitting him. "I.. I don't know..." Hank muttered, looking around for her.

Maia was no where to be scene, and Hank yelled out her name several times, his panicked state preventing him from thinking rationally. His daughter watched as he panicked, eyes wide. "D-Daddy..?" His eyes snapped to her, and his eyes softened as he saw her tear filled eyes. She was crying for her mother, but her dad acting like that certainly didn't help.

"Beth..." He whispered quietly, kneeling in front of her and hugging her tightly. She buried her face in his neck, tears streaming down her face. Beth opened her eyes as she moved her head to his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she spotted something on the ground, something that had most certainly not been there before.

"W-What.. what's that..?" Hank felt confused at this, pulling away from her. His daughter shakily pointed a finger at the object she had spotted, and Hank raised a brow at the sight of a rough looking piece of paper. It was slightly crumpled and parts of it were torn. He walked towards it after getting up and kneeled again. Eyes looked down at the paper, examining the hastily written words.

'Dear Hank, 

By the time you read this I'll already be gone... I was too terrified to tell you the truth.. I know you will be upset anyway, but writing my thoughts on paper felt more natural to me... I've been bitten, and it's not gonna be long before I turn. I can't put you in danger, so.. I'm going to leave. Killing myself isn't an option.. at least not for me...

I want you to know.. that you were the one of the best things that ever happened to me... You supported me when my family kicked me out.. and you stayed when you had no reason to. My family never liked me being with you.. they always hated outsiders. They kicked me out when I refused to cease all contact with you.. I am forever grateful that you let me stay with you.

Then.. when we had Beth.. she became our world. I love both of you so much.. and I wish I didn't have to leave. Nothing will change between us.. we are forever married, and Beth will always be our daughter. I will miss both of you...

Hank.. please don't come looking for me.. you won't like what you find. Just know.. that I still love both of you and please.. protect her, Hank. She thinks the world of you, and she needs you. Don't break down.. not in front of her. Tell her that I'm in a better place, and we'll see each other again.. one day. I'll miss you.. both of you.. this is goodbye...

With all the love in the world,

Your loving wife, Maia.

P.S. Teach Beth how to shoot.. she needs to learn how.'

Hank's eyes filled with tears as he read the letter. What looked to be tear drops had stained the paper long before he had even picked it up. He knew then that it had broke Maia's heart to have to write this. A hint of anger arose at the realization that Maia had hidden the fact that she was bitten from them. It explained why she seemed to be more tired than normal, as well as the abnormal paleness of her skin.

"D-Dad..?" Beth asked quietly, noticing just how much his shoulders were shaking. He froze at her voice but didn't answer her for a moment. Folding the paper until it could easily slip into his pocket, he placed it in his front left pocket. Hank got up from his kneeling position and wiped at the gathering moisture trying to leave his eyes.

The man turned to face Beth, looking down at her tiny form. Even for an eight year old Beth was incredibly small, for nutrition in the world now was hard to keep up to the amount she, or just about anyone, needed. "Your mom.. she's in a better place... We.. we'll see her again.. eventually..." Hank didn't look too sure.

To be honest.. he wasn't...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Spring 2032

•°•°•

A small cabin had been located, and they had all taken refuge within it. In front of the entry door, they had pushed a bookshelf in front of it- a pretty sturdy one at that. The front door had to be broken down and wasn't in any condition to hold back infected or even other people. It took just about everyone to get it moved, and it wasn't budging without a lot of force. It had a back door, which was much more secure without needing to put something it front of it.

"Gavin.. when do you think Beth and Evan will get up..?" Fiona asked quietly, looking up at the older male. The man shook his head, "No idea..." He glanced over at Hank, who was sitting in front of the fireplace. "Was allowing them to go into the room alone, really the best idea..?" Gavin asked, causing Hank to look at him. The older man shook his head, "Probably not.. but they're hopefully smart enough to not try anything..." Hank's implication made Gavin gag.

"Yuck.. you sure they didn't..?" Hank shrugged, but it was clear that he was worried about it. The blonde sitting next to Gavin had a confused look on her face, "What are you two talkin' about..? What did they do..?" She asked, and Gavin's expression became mischievous. Fiona, known for her oblivious and innocent nature, didn't know what they were talking about.

"Nothin'.. just go wake them, would you..?" Fiona nodded when Hank didn't object, "Okay..." The blonde got up, walking to the bedroom. She had no clue why neither of them had come out of the room, but she assumed that they had just fallen asleep. When she opened the door; however, what she saw was much more than that...

•°•°•

Beth cuddled into Evan's side, sighing at the warmth he generated. Both of them had no clothes covering them, so it was fairly obvious what had happened. The only thing covering them was the dark grey quilt that had likely been hand made. She opened her eyes, face flushing as she recalled what had happened the previous night.

He was still asleep, eyes closed and he was breathing slowly. Beth felt a little panic hit her.. she hadn't regretted it while they had done it, but now.. she was worried. Her father and Gavin finding out was one problem.. but another was it could have potentially damaged her friendship with Evan. Another concern was something that didn't cross her mind at all.. something that stemmed from them not having any options for protection.

Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red, as Evan opened his eyes to look at her. "Hmm.. nice red face you got there." She smacked his shoulder, making him let out a small ow. Beth looked away for a moment before glancing up at him. "Same to you, Handsome..." Evan smiled softly, "Oh.. I'm handsome, huh?"

"Shut up..."

Evan smiled, lifting himself up a little which caused two stubborn strands of his brown hair to fall into his face. She smiled, before reaching up to fix it. After she had adjusted the rebellious strands of hair, she went to move her hand away but he caught her hand, before it could even move away from his face. He held her much smaller hand in his own, before leaning in to kiss her.

She barely managed to hook an arm around his neck, before a squeak interrupted them. They pulled away, both their faces scarlett, and their eyes flashed to the doorway. It was Fiona.. her forest green eyes staring at them in simultaneous shock and confusion. She clearly didn't understand and unfortunately had a habit of asking way too many questions as well as telling people what she had saw.

Beth closed her eyes.. already knowing that her father nor Gavin would be happy...

They were fucked...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*That's the end of the first chapter and the end of Hank's background. There are gaps, but some of them will be filled in the other two background stories. I didn't want to rewrite the same information where the stories overlap, so I decided to create gaps in one that the other(s) may fill in. Also, while I am going to include flashbacks in the actual story when it starts in chapter Four I'm going to use them sparingly and only about events that weren't covered in the background stories. Hope you've enjoyed.*

Sincerely, Talleybear.


	3. I'm Rewriting This Story.

I'm terribly sorry for long delay; however, I am deleting this story and rewriting it. It'll still be up for a little while, but I will eventually delete it.

I'm planning on changing quite a few things, and I'm not doing the background chapters anymore. Instead I'm going to use the prologue for that. I am still going to eventually get the story in to the current timeline of The Last of Us Part Two.

I'd appreciate suggestions for different ideas, and I'll try to get it done soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I plan on deleting this story after the new one is posted, but I'll leave a link in this for you to find it before I delete this.


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